The Exterminating Angels


The Exterminating Angels is a 2006 French erotic drama film written and directed by Jean-Claude Brisseau. It was screened at the Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2006 and received a limited release in the United States on 7 March 2007. The film is about a director named François who embarks on a film project about female eroticism. He meets three struggling actresses who perform sexual acts in front of him. What François does not realise is that there is a lot more going on in the girls' heads than other parts and this leads to tragic consequences.
The film is semi-autobiographical; in 2002, director Brisseau had been arrested on charges of harassment, fined and given a suspended one-year prison sentence. The plaintiffs were three women who had performed sexual acts in front of him during their audition.
The soundtrack for the film was composed by Jean Musy.

Cast

  • Frédéric van den Driessche as François
  • Maroussia Dubreuil as Charlotte
  • Lise Bellynck as Julie
  • Marie Allan as Stéphanie
  • Raphaële Godin as Apparition 1 / Rebecca
  • Margaret Zenou as Apparition 2
  • Sophie Bonnet as Nathalie
  • Jeanne Cellard as the grandmother
  • Virginie Legeay as Virginie
  • Estelle Galarme as Olivia
  • Marine Danaux as Agnès
  • Apolline Louis as Céline
  • François Négret as Stéphanie's friend

    Production

On 31 October 2007, two actresses, one of whom stars in The Exterminating Angels, accused Brisseau of rape, sexual assault and harassment for a period from August 2005 to September 2007. Marie Allan, then aged 29, accused the director of having abused her during erotic "castings", carried out face to face and without a camera, in public places or at Brisseau's home. According to her, Brisseau would have promised a leading role in one of his films and asked for that to work these intimate scenes. The same accusations came from another actress, then aged 21, who said she suffered a "digital" rape by the filmmaker. Brisseau only admitted to having had a consensual sexual relationship with the first actress. A judicial investigation was opened, the man was heard as an assisted witness, but the procedure was abandoned for lack of evidence to establish "non-consent".

Reception